Filmmaker Spotlight: Stephen Blanquie

Raised in the suburban town of Beaverton, Oregon, Stephan Blanquie escaped over the hills to SE Portland where he gets around on skateboards and a ten-speed – filming bands, skateboarding, fixed-gear freestyling and the great majesty of the Pacific Northwest.
All of Stephen’s work is tinted by a washed-out, psychedelic-Americana vibe thanks to his extensive use of Super 8 film. He was given a Super 8 camera three years ago, and has since become a devotee, transfixed by the aesthetics, and enamored with the process of putting images on the physical object of film.

“I like the idea of capturing the current times on an older format,” Stephen said.

Stephen’s submission to Filmed by Bike is “Devin Tolman: End of Summer”, a fixed-gear freestyle film. The piece was shot using a variety of cameras and mostly filmed from a cruiser board. “I think it looks a lot better to film on skateboard than on bike,” he said.

Stephen became a cyclist as soon as he moved to Portland, lugging around 40lb of equipment to skate spots to get footage of his friends. “I’m not much for the fixed gear myself,” Blanquie said, “but i know how to work a ten-speed.”